Regarding Ron Dunlap’s comment, I fail to see how what I wrote in any way attacks Mr. Bazemore. At no point in that article did I attack him for anything he’s said in the past, but rather defended him for having said those things. I also pointed out that in his comments on John Force in the past those comments were directed more towards Ford Motor Company than they were towards Mr. Force.
Drag racing needs controversial, outspoken characters, but the problem usually comes from those fans who are so conservative that they feel no driver should ever make even slightly negative comments about another. Maybe those folks feel that everything about drag racing should always be “good.” Well, it’s not. In the real world there are both good and “bad” people, those who are willing to speak out and those who aren’t for various reasons.
One reason some drivers are reluctant to ever say anything that anyone might consider controversial is that they’re afraid of how their sponsors might react.
Another is that NHRA has historically shown little patience with outspoken drivers. The list of those fined for having spoken their minds is fairly long.
In my opinion a driver should be able to say anything short of an outright threat to a racing official, fellow competitor, sponsor or fan without fear of being fined for doing so.
NHRA will admit that all the finish line joking, smiling and hugging isn’t doing much to improve ratings or elevate one driver’s popularity over another’s, yet whenever anyone says anything controversial they’re often censored for having done so.
Drivers often react in the moment, which was the case with Bazemore in Denver.
Had the TV cameras caught that it would have spiced up the telecast and this board would have been alive with commentary for days afterwards. Instead it was just another cookie-cutter broadcast.
Imagine your reaction if you were watching the TV show, and just before the final round of Funny Car, in one of those little mini-interviews, one driver said when asked about his chances, “I’m gonna kick that guy’s ass ‘cause he’s a jerk. He burned me down in qualifying, and I’m sick of hearing his name.”
Think you’d watch?
Think you’d post something here afterwards, regardless of who won?
Think people would be talking about it two weeks later?
Is ANYONE other than the participants still talking about the finals at Denver? And please, I mean no disrespect towards anyone by that, I’m merely making a point.
Mr. Dunlap is absolutely correct when he writes “What’s ironic is people defending Whit for being ‘outspoken’ WHILE finding ways to attack anyone who is ‘outspoken’ in disagreeing with his words or actions.”
Simply put, you can’t have it both ways.
But, I disagree with Mr. Dunlap’s later post in which he suggest that “I don’t recall anyone ever attacking Whit ‘for’ being ‘honest’ about anything.” Over the years I’ve heard from dozens of fans who have attacked Whit for that very reason – his willingness to speak out.
Like it or not there is a faction of fans who believe that no driver should ever speak out on anything controversial. They should always agree with new rules, never question NHRA’s leadership, go along with something like a new points system without voicing questions, things like that.
I know there are people on this board who decry references to NASCAR, but it’s relevant on this subject once again. NASCAR literally exploded into the national consciousness because of the fight that took place trackside at the Daytona 500 back in the 70s (hope I have the decade right!). NASCAR generates headlines when a Tony Stewart throws his helmet at a Kurt Bush. The IRL generates headlines when Tony Kanaan has a confrontation with Sam Hornish’s father in the pits.
Like it or not controversy works. Anyone remember the Pro Stock burndown at Denver a few years go between WJ and Dave Connolly. Anything truly memorable about this year’s finale?
Do you realize that in an effort to generate buzz NHRA officials have, on more than one occasion, strongly urged Pro Stock racers to stage fake burndowns? Yeah, they all refused, so when you do see one you can count on it’s being “real,” but that’s not the point. The point is that even the organization was seeking controversy to enhance the popularity of and interest in Pro Stock.
Jon Asher
Drag racing needs controversial, outspoken characters, but the problem usually comes from those fans who are so conservative that they feel no driver should ever make even slightly negative comments about another. Maybe those folks feel that everything about drag racing should always be “good.” Well, it’s not. In the real world there are both good and “bad” people, those who are willing to speak out and those who aren’t for various reasons.
One reason some drivers are reluctant to ever say anything that anyone might consider controversial is that they’re afraid of how their sponsors might react.
Another is that NHRA has historically shown little patience with outspoken drivers. The list of those fined for having spoken their minds is fairly long.
In my opinion a driver should be able to say anything short of an outright threat to a racing official, fellow competitor, sponsor or fan without fear of being fined for doing so.
NHRA will admit that all the finish line joking, smiling and hugging isn’t doing much to improve ratings or elevate one driver’s popularity over another’s, yet whenever anyone says anything controversial they’re often censored for having done so.
Drivers often react in the moment, which was the case with Bazemore in Denver.
Had the TV cameras caught that it would have spiced up the telecast and this board would have been alive with commentary for days afterwards. Instead it was just another cookie-cutter broadcast.
Imagine your reaction if you were watching the TV show, and just before the final round of Funny Car, in one of those little mini-interviews, one driver said when asked about his chances, “I’m gonna kick that guy’s ass ‘cause he’s a jerk. He burned me down in qualifying, and I’m sick of hearing his name.”
Think you’d watch?
Think you’d post something here afterwards, regardless of who won?
Think people would be talking about it two weeks later?
Is ANYONE other than the participants still talking about the finals at Denver? And please, I mean no disrespect towards anyone by that, I’m merely making a point.
Mr. Dunlap is absolutely correct when he writes “What’s ironic is people defending Whit for being ‘outspoken’ WHILE finding ways to attack anyone who is ‘outspoken’ in disagreeing with his words or actions.”
Simply put, you can’t have it both ways.
But, I disagree with Mr. Dunlap’s later post in which he suggest that “I don’t recall anyone ever attacking Whit ‘for’ being ‘honest’ about anything.” Over the years I’ve heard from dozens of fans who have attacked Whit for that very reason – his willingness to speak out.
Like it or not there is a faction of fans who believe that no driver should ever speak out on anything controversial. They should always agree with new rules, never question NHRA’s leadership, go along with something like a new points system without voicing questions, things like that.
I know there are people on this board who decry references to NASCAR, but it’s relevant on this subject once again. NASCAR literally exploded into the national consciousness because of the fight that took place trackside at the Daytona 500 back in the 70s (hope I have the decade right!). NASCAR generates headlines when a Tony Stewart throws his helmet at a Kurt Bush. The IRL generates headlines when Tony Kanaan has a confrontation with Sam Hornish’s father in the pits.
Like it or not controversy works. Anyone remember the Pro Stock burndown at Denver a few years go between WJ and Dave Connolly. Anything truly memorable about this year’s finale?
Do you realize that in an effort to generate buzz NHRA officials have, on more than one occasion, strongly urged Pro Stock racers to stage fake burndowns? Yeah, they all refused, so when you do see one you can count on it’s being “real,” but that’s not the point. The point is that even the organization was seeking controversy to enhance the popularity of and interest in Pro Stock.
Jon Asher
